What's this Feeling?
by OnlyTheInevitable
Summary: It wasn't fast, she didn't even realize it was happening, but her crush on Jillian Holtzmann was something she couldn't ignore anymore. Ten times Erin realized she was falling for Holtzmann. Holtzbert.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! It's been a while since I've written any fanfic, so sorry if this sucks. If it's italicized that means it's Erin's thoughts. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Her feelings first got confusing after a day-long ghost hunt, not too long after they defeated Rowan. The team had been called to an old house that had been infested with ghosts. It definitely wasn't their hardest battle, but it was messy and left them all exhausted by the time they got back to their new headquarters.

"Girl, you were right this seriously gets in every crack," Patty grunted at Erin, trying her hardest to get the abundance of ghost slime out of her ears.

"I'm sad to say I'm becoming an expert on ghost slime," Erin chuckled as she deftly cleaned off her skin.

"I found some towels hidden under the new fish tank. I don't know why, but I can only assume Kevin had something to do with it," Abby informed the soaking wet pair as she handed them the towels.

"He probably wanted the fish to have something to wear when they decided to come out of the tank, or he put them there in case he decided to go swimming," Patty joked, accepting the towel graciously.

"With Kevin, I have no doubt that you're probably not far off," Abby laughed, "Hey, where's Holtzmann?" she asked looking around.

"She went upstairs to see if there were any towels," Erin said wringing out her hair, "I can take those up, I'm almost dry already," she informed a still soaking wet Abby.

Erin took the towel from Abby and ascended up the firehouse staircase. It was oddly quiet comparative to Holtz's usual workshop cacophony. She reached the top of the stairs and was surprised to see it was empty. As she stepped further into the lab she noticed a trail of slime and followed it. She knew she was on the right track when the gentle humming of 80's music reached her ears. She rounded the corner and was immediately paralyzed.

Standing before her was an underwear clad Jillian Holtzmann. She was bent over wiping her silky legs off with a towel, so that Erin had an eyeful of her boy-short covered, and surprisingly fantastic, butt. Erin couldn't help but gawk at the engineer's porcelain smooth back, which was gently swaying to the woman's melodic tune. Erin felt a little lightheaded and she felt the dampness of her palms against the dry towel. She didn't understand why she was standing here ogling at her friend, but she couldn't muster anything to say.

Holtzmann, with unusual elegance, stood up straight and draped the towel around her neck, gently covering her breast before turning around.

"I never knew voyeurism was your thing Gilbert," Holtzmann joked with a teasing smirk.

Erin tried to think of a comeback, but the words kept getting caught in her throat and all she could focus on was an eyeful of soft breast peaking around the thin towel.

"See something ya like?" the blonde teased, moving closer to the now sweating Erin.

"I-I-I brought a towel for you. Ab-Abby found it and told m-me to give it to you," Erin stuttered before throwing the towel at Holtzmann and bolting down the stairs without even so much as a backwards glance.

She didn't stop until she reached the bottom of the stairs and caught her breath. _What the hell was that Gilbert?_ She chastised herself. _You just stared down your friend's half naked body for an unsettling amount of time. Am I sweating?_ The scientist convinced herself for the next ten minutes that she was simply shocked to see Holtzmann had such a nice figure since she always is so covered up.

" _See something ya like?"_ She just couldn't understand why she kept replaying that in her mind and flashing to the woman prowling towards her. She was used to Holtzmann's funny flirtatious remarks, because they happened all the time. She just wasn't used to being so affected.

 _I must've inhaled too much slime._

* * *

Loud noises coming from Holtzmann's lab weren't anything out of the ordinary. Silence is what scared the other three Ghostbusters. Silence then followed a loud noise, however, is what would send them running up the stairs as fast as possible to check on the engineer, despite most of the time it just being Holtzmann changing a song or having fell asleep mid-work. Which is why, when the lights flickered dramatically and they heard no call of "oops, my bad!" Patty, Abby, and Erin didn't even exchange a look before jogging up the stairs.

"Holtzy, everything good up here?" Patty tentatively called out.

 _Silence_

"Holtz, are you messing with the cable again?" Abby tried joking.

 _Silence_

As Erin opened her mouth to speak, a gasp came out instead as her eyes settled on a heap of blonde hair on the floor, "Oh my god!"

The trio ran over to see Holtzmann sprawled out on the ground, unsettlingly still. Patty was the first to act, diving on her knees next to the woman and flipping her over, as Erin stood frozen in pure fear.

"She's breathing, and I have a pulse!" Patty exclaimed, letting out the breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"Oh, look at her hands! She got electrocuted again!" Abby sighed, taking in Holtz's bright pink hands that were littered with specks of red.

Holtzmann was surprisingly cautious in the lab for someone with complete disregard to safety lights, but sometimes her machines couldn't handle her pace and would shock her. It never was too serious, and they would just end up joking about it. Which is what Erin kept reminding herself as she tried to stop the clenching in her throat and the burning around her eyes.

"Sorry about that," groaned the injured woman from her resting place on Patty's lap.

"Holtz, you scared the crap out of us!" Abby gently reprimanded as Holtzmann slowly sat up.

"Should've gone with aluminum," she laughed until she was interrupted by a choked sob coming from the woman in the corner of the room.

Erin had her back to the rest of them, trying her hardest to not be seen in such an embarrassing state, but she couldn't hold back her relief. _Why am I getting so emotional? She's fine. No one else is crying._ She started wiping away the tears before they rolled down her cheeks.

"Erin, look, Holtzy's fine," Patty soothed gently, framing Holtzmann with her arms for emphasis.

Erin made her way across the room to grab the first aid kit before returning to the confused women. "I know, I just got dust in my eye, and coughed, and got a spontaneous runny nose," Erin lamely tried to lie.

"Wow, sounds like you are having a hard time," Abby joked sarcastically while Patty was eyeing Erin down with a weird smirk.

"Yep, allergies like to attack when you least expect it," Erin nervously chuckled as she got the antibiotic and gauze out of the medical kit.

"Yeah. I heard the middle of January is really bad for pollen," Holtzmann added with a smile.

"Well Holtzy, looks like you're in Erin's capable hands. I'm glad you're okay," Patty smirked, leading Abby out of the room while Holtzmann positioned herself on a stool in front of Erin with her palms out. When they had fully left, Erin started working on the scorched hands, and trying her hardest to avoid the burning gaze of their owner and the pounding in her chest at their closeness. She continued diligently, only occasionally nodding her head in response to Holtzmann's ranting. All she could focus on was how soft and gentle the engineer's hands were, and how well they fit in her hand.

"Wow, good as new!" Holtmann grinned as she held up her hands that had been wrapped in gauze to the point of immobility and laughed when she noticed Erin had taped the gauze into place with Scotch tape.

"I'm glad you're okay," Erin mumbled, trying to avoid the scientists gaze and figure out what's been going on with her.

* * *

 **Hey! Sorry this isn't the best. I was excited and didn't proof read it as well as I should have. I figure I'll do two "reasons" at a time to drag it out a little more. I love reviews! I'm also "gaycrouton" on tumblr, so hit me up! Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! Thanks to everyone who read the first chapter! I hope you liked it! I tried to make this one longer. I typed it on my phone, so I know I'll need to go back through it tomorrow and fix the messy bits, but I was excited to post it. Enjoy!**

The group didn't go out to party very frequently, but on the rare occasions they left the Ghostbusters headquarters in favor of a night on the town, it was more than eventful. Most of the time it was Patty's idea, but the other women didn't take much convincing. It was usually always at the same bar where they would occasionally get free drinks from the bartenders still grateful for them saving the city. Tonight was one of those nights.

They had been in a rut for a while, and after a successful capture, Patty suggested they celebrated by going out for drinks and dancing. The women all agreed to go home and change before meeting at their favorite bar.

Erin walked into her apartment, intending to freshen up before heading out to the bar, but when she started staring at her plain pant suit in the mirror she decided to change things up. Stepping in front of her closet, she tried to find something nicer to wear. _What am I even dressing up for? I'm just going out with the girls, no one to impress._ She tried to convince herself that her behavior had nothing to do with the extra time she had been spending in Holtzmann's lab lately. She just wanted to try to prevent the engineer from shocking herself again, that's all. However, that didn't stop her from putting on a nice blouse, sans-bow tie, and a knee length black skirt. Giving herself a quick once-over in the mirror, she decided this was as good as it was going to get and she made her way to the bar.

As usual, she was the first one there. She decided to get a head start on the festivities, and took a seat at the bar and ordered a drink. Erin slowly sipped her cocktail and scanned the crowed in search of a familiar face. A few minutes passed when she felt a body slide into the seat next to her. Turning her head, her smile faltered when instead of a fellow Ghostbuster, her eyes fell upon an unfamiliar man with a toothy grin.

"Um, hello," Erin chirped nervously.

"Well hey there darlin'. You look mighty lonely for such a pretty little thang," he drawled from behind a beer bottle.

"Oh, I'm not alone. I mean- I am right now, but my friends are coming," she offered to the ill-mannered man.

"Why wait for them when I'm right here, sweet cheeks?" He purred, leaning closer to Erin with every word.

"Um-that's a nice offer but-" she paused as he reached up a hand to brush her cheek and brush a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"I'm meeting friends," she stated, leaning away from his touch.

The man opened his mouth to respond, but before the words left his mouth, he was interrupted by a boisterous, female voice screaming, "Hey honey! Sorry I'm late!"

Before Erin had a chance to turn around and see her savior, she was wrapped in a backwards hug with a big kiss planted firmly on her cheek. Erin leaned back into the embrace and immediately recognized the scent of vanilla mixed with grease. _Holtzmann_. Her heart started pounding a mile a minute as she looked up to see Holtzmann's smirking face challenging the man at the bar.

"Is this the friend you were talking about?" The man inquired with a bemused smile, gesturing towards the woman snuggling into her back.

Erin opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by a hand shooting out from behind her, "Jillian Holtzmann, I'm her girlfriend, and you are?" Holtzmann teased in an accusing tone while Erin's heart leapt into her throat.

"Oh, I'm sorry. There's been a misunderstanding," the man grunted, looking at Holtzmann's hand without accepting it. He eased himself out of the barstool and began searching the bar for a new target. Erin felt Holtzmann maintain her Vulcan-like grip on her shoulders until the man was fully out of view. She had to hold back a groan as she felt the woman break the body contact they had been sharing, taking the seat the man had just vacated.

"I hope you weren't into him. He looked creepy, so I may have jumped the gun, but I can get him back if you want him," the blonde teased in a comedic tone, waggling her eyebrows at the stunned woman in front of her.

"N-no, thank you for that!" Erin gushed, trying to gulp down her drink and calm her nerves.

"I'm glad. I would be disappointed if that was your type, _honey_ " the woman hummed, amused at the other's flustered state. They were joined by Abby and Patty before she had a chance to respond, and everything went back to normal, aside from the butterflies in her stomach still fluttering about. _She just pretended to be your girlfriend so the guy would leave you alone_. Erin took a quick sideways glance at the blonde and was met with a quick wink and a Cheshire smile.

 _What did she mean she would be disappointed?_

* * *

Even when they went out to the bars, they never really got drunk. Tipsy, yes, but never sloppily drunk. That is, until someone foolishly suggested they make it a competition. Erin herself was never the competitive type. She much rather would observe the battle than partake in it. It all started innocently enough, they busted a ghost and a grateful client gave them a handle of Jack Daniels. They all say down to share it when a simple phrase was uttered.

"I could drink more than all of you combined and still remember everything the next day," Patty mused with a grin. That's all it took for Abby and Holtzmann to get out the shot glasses and take her up on her challenge.

"Holtzy, do you seriously think you stand a chance? Abby I can see putting up a fight. You? You look like a lightweight," Patty taunted with a grin.

"Well, well, well, you are in for a surprise there my dear Patty," Holtzmann proclaimed from her station in front of the radio, acting as DJ for the night.

Erin knew she herself was a lightweight, so instead decided to pour a glass and watch from the sidelines. A little more than eager to see who the real winner would be. She honestly couldn't remember ever seeing Abby drink more than a glass or two, even in their college days, but she never seemed to be easily affected. Patty was tall and Erin believed her confidence in herself was not misplaced. Based on body mass alone, Holtz was a shoe in to be the first one out.

Everyone watched in anticipation as Patty poured the alcohol into the shot glasses. They all picked up their glass, toasted to a fair competition, and downed the first shot.

Patty was out by the fifth drink. Out as in sprawled out on top of one of the lab tables fast asleep, cuddling a pipe she had found on a desk. Abby and Holtzmann messily took a picture next to her sleeping form as proof of their victory before continuing the conquest.

"Holtzy, I am impressed," Abby slurred while messily pouring the next shot.

"I told you I was a force to be reckoned with," giggled the woman from the opposite end of the table. Erin was honestly shocked. Abby was obviously drunk and could barely function, Patty was cuddling machinery on a table, but the underdog was standing strong. Aside from her flushed cheeks and her occasional unprovoked laughter, she was otherwise unaffected. They did a few more shots until Abby grabbed a trash can and vomited. Erin left her perch to hold the woman's hair back as Holtzmann circled them in a victory dance.

"I bow to you. You are the drinking champion," Abby murmured with closed eyes, unable to take in Holtzmann's gloating. Abby laid down next to Patty and within a minute was out cold.

"I can't believe you have such a high tolerance," Erin mused turning towards Holtzmann, but the scientist was no where to be seen.

"Holtz?" Erin called out, confused as to where the drunken woman could have gone. She heard a noise come from the upper level of the firehouse. She followed the noise up the stairs and was met with Holtzmann sitting on the floor holding a rubber band and a piece of metal.

"Hey Holtz, what are you doing?" Erin asked gently, moving her way towards the swaying woman.

"Erin! Come 'ere!" She slurred from the ground. Erin took a seat next to her and watched as she struggled to wrap the rubber band around the forked metal.

"Um, what's that?" She asked after a moment of science. Holtzmann looked up from her invention and made eye contact with Erin, her eyes lighting up as if she just realized she was there.

"Erin! Look at this! It's a slingshot. Here it's a present for you!" Holtzmann gushed with uncharacteristic exuberance, grabbing Erin's hands and placing the tool in her hands.

"Oh! Um, thanks Holtz," Erin beamed enthusiastically, not wanting to break the smile off of the other woman's face. Erin felt the woman continue staring at her and she felt hot under her gaze until she realized what Holtzmann was waiting for.

She stood up and found a battery on a nearby table. Looking around for something safe to hit, she saw a pillow on the couch they placed up there for Holtz to crash on after her all nighters. Erin placed the battery against the rubber band, aimed, and watched as the item soared in the air and hit her target.

"Score!" Erin turned to see Holtzmann thrust her arms in the air in an exaggerated cheer. Erin smiled at the other woman's prideful gaze, but quickly set the present down to catch Holtzmann when she started to sway on her feet.

"Oooo Erin are you tryna take advantage of lil' old me?" Holtzmann teased, mumbling into Erin's shoulder in their awkward embrace. Erin felt her face flush, but she didn't let go of the woman.

"You wish," Erin joked back, knowing the woman wouldn't remember this in the morning. She didn't get a response, but she felt the blonde gently slide one hand to rest on her waist and grabbed Erin's hand with the other. She gently started rocking back and forth in what Erin could only assume was a drunken dance. Holtzmann readjusted her head to lay on Erin's shoulder with her mouth blowing warm breath onto the taller woman's neck.

Erin felt like her entire body was set on fire, but she joined Holtzmann's messy rhythm and was entranced when the smaller woman began softly singing against her neck.

 _"Stars shining bright above you_

 _Night breezes seem to whisper, I love you_

 _Birds singing in the sycamore tree"_ Holtzmann sang, surprisingly getting every word right.

Erin had heard Holtzmann singing various tunes everyday, but she never realized what a beautiful singing voice she had until now. She could have sworn her heart stopped beating when Holtzmann sang the romantic tune, every word sending a chill against her neck. _You're just being silly, she's drunk._ She felt Holtzmann stop swaying and go limp in her arms. She turned her head to see the blonde gently snoring against her neck.

Erin locked her arms underneath the sleeping woman's and dragged her a few feet to the couch, laying her down as gently as possible. She looked around for a blanket, and was only able to find a flame retardant blanket near the fire extinguisher. Good enough. She took the blanket and gently tucked it around the woman's sleeping form. Against her better judgement, she impulsively leaned down and pressed a soft kiss against Holtzmann's forehead.

"Dream a little dream of me," she softly sang, finishing the engineer's song before turning and making her way to the stairs. She got one foot on the first step when she heard, in the tiniest whisper from the couch,

"I always do."

* * *

 **Okay that was cheesy as hell, but I dig it. I would love it if you commented and gave me feedback! And follow me on tumblr for more Ghostbuster love! I'm "gaycrouton".**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! Thank you so much for all the feedback on the last chapter. I hope people are enjoying it! To the reviewer who asked if the song choice was taken from Kate McKinnon singing it in that interview, hell yeah it was! I adore that woman. I hope this is okay, I didn't anticipate how hard writing their characters would be. I really don't want them to be out of character.**

* * *

Out of all the places in New York, hotels were always the place they were called to the most. Today was no different, hotel downtown with multiple apparition sightings. Nothing malevolent, but still warranting a bust.

"Yo, not to be ungrateful for the jobs, but I'm really sick of seeing the same-old ugly ass hotel rooms. Why can't something cool get haunted? Like a men's locker room?" Patty complained from her seat in the back of the new hearse.

"Maybe because death is a rare occurrence in men's locker rooms?" Abby joked beside her, fidgeting with her baggy jumpsuit.

"Man. I guess you're right. So what's the issue with this place we're going to?"

"Apparently the basement has been having a plethora of ghostly activity, as the top pent house suite." Abby responded, reading off the email that the hotel had sent them.

"I like the hotels. They have an air of beauty about them," Erin piped in from the passenger seat.

"If by beauty you mean stained sheets and freaky people. Then yes, they're gorgeous," Patty deadpanned.

"Ladies, we have arrived!" Holtzmann proclaimed while bringing the vehicle to an abrupt stop.

The woman entered the hotel and were immediately greeted by a timid looking man. He was very quiet, just giving them the keys and telling them where to go before he returned to his station behind the front counter.

"Okay. I say since these apparitions aren't violent, we split into two teams and try to knock them out as quickly as possible," Abby suggested, holding out the two keys.

"Sounds like a good plan. Holtz and I will take the penthouse ghost while you two take the basement and we'll meet back here," Erin stated, grabbing the penthouse key and heading towards the elevator before they had a chance to argue. Holtzmann gave a quick salute to the other two before trailing the determined woman.

"She has such a thing for Holtzy. She's not even discreet anymore," Patty whispered to Abby once the other pair was gone.

"I can't even remember the last time she so much as looked at Kevin," Abby whispered in agreement. They smirked at each other and with a quick high five, made their way to the basement.

Erin was standing outside of the elevator, waiting for the numbers to reach one while simultaneously chastising herself. _You could not have made that any creepier. You practically forced her to partner up with you._ She was drawn out of her inner turmoil by a loud crunching sound. She turned to her left only to be met with Holtzmann devouring a can of Pringles.

"Right now? Really?" She asked with a grin.

"What? Did you want one?" Holtzmann inquired jingling the can under Erin's nose as they stepped into the elevator.

"No thank you," She laughed, gently pushing the can away.

"Suit yourself, but you're missing out! Wait, what floor is the penthouse?" Holtz asked with her fingers hovering the buttons.

"13."

"Oooooo how spooky!" The blonde joked, waggling her fingers before slapping the correct button.

The elevator filled with an old Madonna song and Erin didn't even have to look to know Holtzmann had put the Pringles away so she could start to vogue to the music. Erin laughed at the woman's antics when the music cut out at the lights flickered.

"Do you think this has to do with the gh-" Erin was cut off by the elevator lurching to a halt and being encompassed by darkness. Though she should have been a little frightened, all she could focus on was the hand that was clutching her wrist.

"The ghost? Yeah," Holtzmann responded from the darkness. Erin felt her release her grip and heard her pressing every button on the wall, but to no avail.

"One of these is usually a help button isn't it?" The engineer mumbled.

"Typically, but without any electricity they're useless," Erin explained, a little confused the other woman was even trying.

"How high up did we get?"

"About halfway."

"What floor?"

"I don't know, maybe six or seven?"

"Ah."

Erin tried to feel around for the other woman, but she seemed to have moved from her previous spot. Erin remembered she had a new keychain Patty had given her, it was a flashlight mixed with a safety whistle. Feeling around her pockets she felt the cool metal brush her fingertips. With a self-satisfied grin, she took it out and illuminated the room.

She didn't expect to see Holtzmann pressing herself up against the wall with her eyes closed.

"Holtz?" Erin soothed gently. The blonde was breathing oddly heavy and appeared to be sweating a little. Holtzmann opened her eye a sliver and let out a breath at the new light.

"Hey, Patty's present was useful after all," she mused with a half-hearted smile from her place against the wall, making no attempt to move.

"Are you okay?"

"Yep."

"What are you doing exactly?"

"I heard meditating is good for the digestive system. Helps regularity." Holtzmann grinned. Erin took a few steps towards the woman and noticed she had a white knuckle grip on the hand railing.

"Holtz."

"'Sup?"

"Are you claustrophobic?" Erin asked gently. It was the only thing that made sense for this odd behavior. Odd for even Holtzmann.

This question prompted Holtz to fully open her eyes and look at Erin, and seeing the expression in woman's eyes was all the answer she needed. _Holtzmann was terrified._

"No, my dear Dr. Gilbert. As I just explained to you, I am meditating. Might as well take advantage of this free time." Holtzmann jested, unconvincingly.

Erin was baffled. Holtzmann had always seemed like this impenetrable force. She spoke to ghosts with no fear, she makes nuclear weapons like it was no big deal, and she had a never ending well of wit and charm. Erin never expected Holtzmann to be phased by anything, but the sight in front of her was a solid reminder that Jillian Holtzmann was just as human as the rest of them. On a normal basis she would have found this newly discovered vulnerability adorable, but as she took in the tension engulfing Holtzmann's form and couldn't let her continue to torture herself. No matter how strong the woman wanted to appear.

"You should meditate on the floor in the middle of the elevator, it will make the space feel less confined and will help prevent you from having a panic attack," Erin offered. She had read a few journals on common phobias and was trying to recollect anything she knew to help. Holtzmann eyed her warily, eyes darting from Erin to the floor.

"I suppose the ground may be slightly more comfortable," She conceded, sliding down the wall on her back until her butt reached the floor, at which point she scooted until she was in the middle.

"Lay on your back, close your eyes, and envision somewhere that makes you happy. Somewhere you feel safe and secure" Erin instructed. She was surprised to see the woman follow her instructions to the letter without any hesitation. She noticed Holtz's chest rising and falling at a more natural pace, and the tension was slowly leaving her face. However, her hands were pressed firmly into the faux-carpet, drawing sporadic circles with her fingers.

Erin didn't even think about what she was doing as she laid on the ground next to Holtzmann, and enraptured the woman's hand in her own. There was no resistance as the engineer held firmly onto Erin's hand, not knowing that as her heartbeat calmed down, Erin's was reaching new heights. Erin tried to keep her mind off their closeness by sparking a conversation.

"Describe out loud the world you're imagining." Holtz paused a moment before answering in a calm and steady voice.

"We're in my lab. You and me. I just made something badass, and I'm showing it to you. You aren't really understanding what I'm telling you, because I'm making up some of my terminology on the spot-" This caused Erin to laugh from her spot on the floor. She could hear Holtzmann snicker herself before continuing.

"You're confused, but I can tell by the look on your face that you're proud of me. That's all I'm really thinking about. Hanging out in the lab." Holtzmann recounted, her tone lacking her usual quirks. Erin can't help but feel the woman drawing circles with her thumb into the palm of her hand.

"Wait, your happy place is with me?" Erin asked in hopeful shock. Holtzmann turned her head to look at Erin, but as soon as she opened her mouth, the elevator door opened.

"Oh Hell nawh!" Screamed a slime covered Patty, "We got rid of both the ghost in the basement _and_ the penthouse all while you two were taking a nap! I can't believe this!" Patty continued to rant as Holtzmann got up smiling and taunting the goo-ridden women. Erin couldn't quite stop focusing on what had just happened.

 _Does Holtzmann like me?_

* * *

"Happy Birthday, boss!" Kevin beamed behind his lense-less glasses. Erin looked up in pure horror and shock as she saw Kevin handing her a big wad of tissue paper. She felt her entire face go red as her other Ghostbusters slowly approached her.

"Thank you Kevin. How um, how did you figure out that it was my birthday?" She pitifully tried to whisper.

"I got a card in the mail yesterday that said _Happy Birthday Erin,_ and I was like 'But my name is Kevin?' So I asked Holtzmann and she said that the card was addressed to you and it wasn't my birthday. So, I got you something." He explained gesturing to the present in Erin's fumbling hands.

"Oh, thank you so much. Um, who was the other card from?" Erin asked while she unwrapped the tissue paper, only to see he had put the gift wrap underneath.

"Mr. Walgreens Pharmacy!" He beamed, reading off of a post-it.

"Oh, buddy," Abby said in amusement.

Erin finally was able to unwrap the present and was greeted by a green picture frame. Inside of the frame was a picture of the girls working and laughing. It was a really nice picture of them and she was touched by Kevin's effort.

"This is wonderful Kevin. I really appreciate it," Erin smiled at the proud boy. He gave her a hug before returning back to his desk, leaving her alone with Abby and Patty.

"Why didn't you tell us it was your birthday! I throw bomb ass parties!" Patty asked, seeming genuinely hurt.

"Yeah Erin, we're your friends. You didn't need to hide it from us," Abby added.

Erin didn't mean to offend anyone. She just wasn't used to celebrating her birthday. It was never a big deal growing up. Her parents just never did anything more than give her a small gift and a _Happy Birthday_. There was no deep-seeded traumatic reason, she had honestly just forgotten.

"I just forgot. I never celebrate my birthday," she explained to the inquiring women.

"Well I hope you had fun while that shit lasted, because you're about to have the biggest birthday bash of your entire life!" Patty exclaimed excitedly.

"Though apparently that wouldn't be a hard thing to top," Abby laughed.

Patty and Abby quickly abandoned her and started conspiring plans in the corner. Erin tried her hardest to eavesdrop, but the other two were too stealthy. They gave her a quick heads up that they were going to get groceries, before leaving the firehouse. Kevin left with them to do the 'heavy lifting'. Erin let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding, and grabbed Kevin's present for a better look.

It was obviously a photo that Kevin had taken on his phone, but she couldn't tell how long ago. It was at the firehouse and they were surrounding a table. Someone must have said something funny, because everyone in the photo was mid-laughter. The expressions on their faces made Erin smile. Something caught her eye though. _Holtzmann was smiling and looking intently at her._ It was a look of something she couldn't quite place, but she was startled out of her reverie by the woman in question.

"Knock Knock, anyone home?" Holtzmann quipped a few inches away from Erin's face, making her jump in surprise.

"What? Oops, sorry!" Erin laughed, placing the frame upright on the desk. Holtz's attention was drawn to it and she swept it up into her hands. She gave it a once over and a smile broke out over her face, before she set it back down.

"Kevin gave it to me for my-"

"Birthday? The birthday you were secretly hiding, not telling any of us. Like a secret spy?" Holtzmann smirked with unsettling eye contact.

"Um. Just my normal birthday," she laughed awkwardly.

"Follow me," Holtz demanded with a quick hand gesture, turning around and bolting up the stairs.

Erin did what she was asked and jogged up the stairs in eager confusion. When she reached the landing, she was met with a grinning engineer with her hands behind her back.

"What's up?" Erin asked

"I may or may not have gotten the early inside scoop about your birthday yesterday, and as a valued member of the team, I am not going to permit you to allow your birthday to pass with no celebration. You are a dear friend of mine and the anniversary of your birth is of value to me and it deserves to be recognized with the proper respect," Holtzmann said as quickly as possible, much like her speech about love and family. Her grin remained on her face, but it was faltering slightly with self-consciousness.

"Are you crying?" Holtzmann exclaimed in shock.

Erin felt her eyes burning at Holtz's kind words. She didn't want to cry, but she hearing someone talking about her like that made her emotional. She smiled and shook her head trying to communicate that she wasn't upset, but Holtzmann just got frantic.

"Erin, I'm sorry! Here I just wanted to give you this!" She stuttered as she brought a present from behind her back.

The emotional woman looked down and saw a thin silver chain encircling Holtzmann's thin hands. In her palm was a heart pendant.

"I-Is this for me?" Erin smiled with tears in her eyes.

"I made you a birthday present, but if it's going to make you cry, then no. It's not for you I just wanted to pretend to make you a birthday present and pretend to give it to you as a joke," she mumbled quickly.

Erin grabbed Holtz's hand and looked at the pendant. In elegant script, _To Erin with love, Abby, Holtzmann, Patty, and Kevin. The Ghostbusters._ She clutched onto Hotzmann's fist and brought it up to her lips with a gentle kiss. Looking up she saw Holtz looking at her in pure confusion.

"This is the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever given me. Thank you so, so much Jillian." Erin gushed, not able to hold tears of gratitude back anymore. Though she was crying, Holtzmann's face turning an uncharacteristically bright shade of her did not go unnoticed.

"U-Um no problem," she stumbled over her words for once. She untangled their hands and gestured for Erin to turn around so she could put it on, and Erin obliged.

"It also acts as a shield against the ghost slime that loves you so much. I made it so it would react against the ionization in the slime. It won't repel it from your entire body, but it will protect your face. I promise it's safe too," she explained as her fingers lit a blaze against Erin's skin. Erin swore her smile was so big it would break her face. She didn't think she would ever be happier.

That is- until she felt a pair of lips come down on the nape of her neck, and a soft voice whisper, "Happy Birthday, Erin."

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed! I keep reading other fanfiction and I feel so inadequate, lol. Again, another shameless "follow me on tumblr" post, I'm gaycrouton. I deeply appreciate reviews. Thank you so much for reading this!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey! Sorry this chapter has taken longer to put out, I've been busy. I hope this doesn't have too many errors in it, I just wrote it on an airplane lol. Sorry the first half is shorter than the second. Thanks for reading, Enjoy!**

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Erin felt like crap. The soul-crushing, miserable sickness. Yesterday Kevin told them, yet again, they got a call that a _goat_ loose. Except this time he wasn't wrong. When they showed up to the clients building they could find no ghostly activity. They were just about to give up when Patty found the problem, because the problem was eating a hole through her pants.

"Oh. Hell. No. This was my good jumpsuit," she exclaimed shooing the animal.

They were chased outside by the animal, and had almost escaped, until it pushed Erin into an abandoned tub of water. Being completely soaked in the autumn air had brought on a massive cold and the woman was miserable.

Not one to miss work, she got out of bed and made her way to the fire station. She made it two steps into the building before she was called out.

"Erin, girl, you look horrible!" Patty shouted from over a book she had been reading. Her shout caused Abby to look over, and caused Holtzmann to bolt down the stairs.

"Wow, thanks Patty," Erin replied before being stuck with a huge coughing fit. When she looked back up she was startled to see Holtzmann standing right in front of her.

"Wha-," she started, but was cutoff by the blonde scientist placing her own forehead against Erin's clammy one. She had her eyes closed and, from this distance, Erin could see her pupils dancing under her eyelids.

"101-103, definitely a fever. You need to rest," Holtzmann stated, no hint of joking on her face.

"Are you a Wiccan now too Holtzy?" Patty joked.

"I'm very used to having hot things in my face," she paused turning to Erin, "Both literally and figuratively," she purred with a wink, causing Erin to become even warmer.

"Erin, why are you here? You should be home," Abby asked.

"I didn't want to leave you guys with one less Ghostbuster," Erin offered lamely. _Holtzmann was going to show me an invention and I didn't want to miss it._

"We can call it a vacation day, go back home. No ifs, ands, or buts," Patty demanded. Erin reluctantly agreed, but as she turned to leave she just saw black and hit the floor.

 _"Erin!"_

She slowly opened her eyes and was met with the dim glow of her bedside lamp reflecting onto her bedroom ceiling. She groaned and lifted a hand to her sore head. She took her hand away when she felt a small dip into the bed beside her head. Looking up she was met with the grinning face of Jillian Holtzmann leaning over her.

"Welcome back," she greeted with her usual enthusiasm.

"What happened?" Erin asked trying to sit up. She was immediately met by Holtz's hands grabbing her shoulders and easing her back down onto the bed.

"Tsk tsk tsk, not so fast hot shot. You took a dive this morning, because _someone_ decided to show up to work with a raging fever," she gently chastised.

"How did we get here?" Erin asked in confusion.

"I carried you," she spoke with a smile, "okay that's only half true, I carried you to the car and we drove here, then I carried you inside," Holtzmann winked.

Erin has never felt this level of disappointment in her entire life. J _illian Holtzmann carried me in her arms and I missed it. Why couldn't I have woken up for even a minute._

"Thank you so much. I'm sorry for causing so much trouble," Erin apologized.

"Don't apologize. Just feel better and come back," Holtzmann said with some seriousness in her voice before continuing, "Patty came in here an hour ago, and was able to wake you up long enough to give you some medicine. I've been checking you for a fever since then and you seem to be getting better. You need to eat something though."

Before Erin could respond, Holtz stood up to go to the kitchen.

"I'll be right back."

Erin couldn't help but smile. She was being catered to in bed by her own personal nurse. Her own personal, beautiful, nurse. She focusing on the fact Holtzmann had been checking her temperature when the woman returned with a plate.

"Where are Abby and Patty?" Erin asked as the other woman sat down next to her on the bed.

"They left maybe a half hour ago."

"How long was I out for?"

"All day, it's 10pm," she informed, sitting next to Erin cross legged, soup held firmly in her lap.

Erin watched as the other woman, as delicately as possible, scooped a large spoonful of soup, brought it to her lips, and gentlyblowed on it to cool it off. When she was satisfied, she held the spoon out to Erin. _Oh my god, she's feeding me._ Erin accepted the offering and felt her heart soar as a grin erupted on Holtzmann's face.

"This is all you had, I hope it's okay," Holtzmann laughed, continuing the process.

"Yes, thank you so much," Erin responded eagerly. _Holtzmann was on her bed._ She wasn't used to being in such a close proximity to her for such a prolonged period of time. They enjoyed idle chit chat until Erin started to yawn, despite trying to rein it in.

"You need to rest up," Holtz instructed, picking up the remnants of dinner, "If you still aren't feeling better by tomorrow, call me and I'll come back." She leaned down and brushed some of Erin's hair out of her face before turning off the light and leaving, "Goodnight, Erin."

Erin knew without a doubt she would be sick tomorrow, another day like this was something she just couldn't pass up.

* * *

"I didn't even know we had a basement," Erin mused to Abby, who was sorting through the piles of boxes before them.

"I didn't know Holtzmann could have any more clutter," Abby wheezed as she picked up an extra heavy box.

"Is all of this hers?" Erin asked in unbridled shock. She knew the blonde was messy, but this was a bit excessive.

"Well she's the only one of us that basically lives here 24/7. I think she figured it would be easier if she had anything she may need at her disposal. Besides, it's not that bad. There's only maybe twelve boxes, and they aren't big. It's just that she didn't really organize them well," Abby explained, setting the boxes on the old lab tables lining the walls.

The pair had been given very clear instructions by Holtzmann.

"I need you to go into the basement and find my jar of metal balls," Holtzmann explained slowly from behind a desk. She was talking to them, but focused intently on the project in her hands, not quite daring to take her eyes off it.

"We have a basement?" Erin asked.

"Where would they be?" Abby asked at the same time.

"Why do you need metal balls?" Erin added.

"They're in a box. I'm not quite sure where, but you'll find them," she grinned, ignoring both of Erin's questions. This simple request is what led the duo to spend over an hour rummaging through all the boxes.

"It may have been naïve of me to assume, but I really didn't think it would be this hard," Erin whined.

"You have to admit this is fascinating though. I mean I knew Holtz was a genius, but look at these notes!" Abby exclaimed from her spot on the ground. Around her were thousand of Holtzmann's lab notes. The woman had apparently written on anything she could get her hands on; legal pads, envelopes, spiral notebooks, sticky pads, cardboard, a diploma of someone she didn't know. Entire boxes were just dedicated to old research notes and invention plans. Holtmann's scrawl was legible, but in strange patterns on the page. She also had several, very thorough diagrams, color coded, labeled, the whole nine-yards. It was impressive to say the least.

"Some of these are dated as early as the 90s! She was still practically a child back then, but this is brilliant," Abby prided at the work of her friend. Erin paused at the information.

"She was a child in the 90s?" Erin asked in confusion. She always had a suspicion Holtzmann was a bit younger than the rest of them, but the woman's intelligence made it hard to tell. She knew Patty was the eldest, she had made a joke that her next birthday would be her big 5-0, and then swore them all to secrecy.

"Yeah, Holtz was born in 1984," Abby answered while engrossed in the notes.

"Holtzmann is 32 years old?!" Erin exclaimed in shock. She didn't think she was _that_ young. That's over a full decade younger than herself and Abby. She realized that, even though they spent so much time together, she really didn't know all that much about her fellow scientist.

Abby simple nodded in response, not paying the frazzled woman much attention. Erin decided to continue looking though boxes in a hopeful attempt to find more information. It's not that she wanted to be nosey and pry into her friend's life. She just hadn't realized the extreme lack of knowledge she held about her. She knows practically every secret of Abby, Patty will be the first one to tell you an in depth story about herself, sometimes a little too detailed, but she couldn't name more than five facts about Holtzmann.

During her musings, she stumbled across a box slightly smaller than the rest, and was thrilled upon opening. An old photo album. Erin mentally cheered before sitting on the ground and opening the dusty book, the spine cracking with unused resistance.

Her assumption was only half correct. It wasn't just a photo album, inside were newspaper clippings, and report cards from what looked like Holtz's childhood.

She couldn't keep the smile off her face at the first photo. Holtzmann at about five years old. She was dressed in a pink chiffon dress with stomach-length blonde hair. She was looking at something out of the camera's view and giving it an unamused expression. The photos resumed the same theme across the years; Holtzmann uncharacteristically feminine clothing, long hair down, and a look of dissatisfaction on her face. Even in school photos she was bored looking, and in group photos she was always distanced. It wasn't until the first news article that she actually saw a smile.

The article read, _Preteen Scientist discovers new source of electricity for her Middle School,_ underneath the large print was a photo of a young Jillian Holtzmann with a more haphazard hairstyle grinning while holding a machine that Erin couldn't recognize. As she read the article she couldn't keep the smirk off her face. Even in a 20 year old interview, she still had her quickly charm. The interviewer had asked what made her interested in science in the first place, _"Science is life. How could you not be interested in it?"_ That was most definitely Holtz.

There were several more articles expressing the science aficionado's accomplishments. While she was excited to see a glimpse into Holtzmann's past, she couldn't help but wonder why in all the non-science related pictures she looked so un-Holtzman like.

The last page was what she could only assume was a family photo. Holtzmann was flat out frowning at the camera while a man and a woman stood behind her, each placing a hand on one of her shoulders. Erin was studying the photo when a voice brought her out of her daydreaming.

"You should put that back, and don't let Holtzmann know you saw any of that," Abby spoke in a rushed whisper, looking to make sure no one was near the stairs. Abby gently removed the book out of Erin's hands and placed it gently where it had been found. She then took the box over to the rest and hid it beneath larger boxes.

"What, why?" Erin asked, surprised by her friends sudden urgency.

"I know you probably want to know more about Holtz, and I get that. She doesn't share many stories about her past, but she doesn't have as many happy memories to share. Don't make her feel bad," Abby whispered.

"What do you mean? Why did she look so different back then?" Erin asked. If anyone knew it would be Abby. Holtzmann seemed to have a strong bond to the woman she referred to as "her first friend." She loved everyone on the team, but Abby was the one she would confide in.

Abby cast an anxious glance back to the stairs before gesturing Erin to come closer, which the woman did in no time.

"You repeat this to no one. _Especially_ not Holtz," Abby demanded with uncharacteristic seriousness.

"I promise," Erin whispered.

"Holtz did not have a happy childhood. Her parents hated her," Abby informed the taller woman.

"What do you mean? There's no way her parents _hated_ her," Erin half-heartily laughed. No one could hate Holtzmann.

"I'm not sugar coating it. They did not like, nor appreciate their daughter. She was smarter than they were. They came from an upper class background, so Holtz's eccentricities were highly frowned upon. Why do you think she got so emotional when she gave the speech about us being her family and love? She had genuinely never felt either," Abby informed with a downtrodden expression. Erin was in shock. She just thought Holtzmann was being sentimental. She didn't think this was the first time she's ever had a family or felt loved.

"She doesn't like to talk about it. She's not exactly sad about it, but it's clearly left an impact on her. When I met her she never shared her inventions or research with me. I'm only presuming that's because in the past she would be made fun of and harassed for showing any excitement or pride in her work," Abby recalled, lost in memories.

"That's so sad, I never would have been able to tell," Erin murmured.

"They didn't support her in anything she did. They hated her science dreams. But you know Holtzmann, she is strong even in the face of adversity. It didn't stop them from having a bit of control over her, since she was a minor and all. Being a lesbian was what really pushed them over. That's why she's dressed so girly, it's all they allowed her to wear," Abby spoke in a hushed tone, not realizing the look of shock and hope on Erin's face.

"Wait, Holtz is a lesbian?" Erin asked hurriedly.

"How did you not know that?" Abby asked incredulously, "She flirts with you all the time."

"I thought she was just kidding around!" Erin squeaked, her face turning beet red. All this time she thought she was over thinking things and overcomplicating her life. _Do I really have a chance?_

"I can't believe you didn't pick up on that. You're a scientist," Abby exclaimed.

"I-I didn't know," Erin whispered trying to calm down the pounding in her chest.

"Oh, well then this might shock you too. Did you know grass is green? Oh, wait! Did you know that the sky is blue? I hope I'm not blowing your mind with all this ground breaking information," Abby joked as she looked through the last box.

"I found them! Wow, of course it would be the last box we checked. I'm serious though, keep all that information to yourself or I'll kill you and then bust your ghost," she threatened.

"What-oh, yeah. I promise." Erin reassured, mind a million miles away.

They made their way up to the top floor where Holtzmann was still hard at work.

"Did you get lost?" The blonde joked.

"When you told us it was in a box, you didn't specify it was surrounded by multiple similar looking boxes," Abby jested, placing the marbles on the table in front of the scientist.

"Ah, yes. Retrospectively I see that may have been useful information," she smirked.

"Your notes are so amazing Holtzmann. The details and specification of your research. You should honestly be published," Abby gushed.

"I'm not sure if that chicken scratch is quite up to literary standards," Holtz chortled.

"You're so brilliant Jillian Holtzmann. I'm so glad you're in my life," Erin proclaimed confidently looking to the woman. Her declaration caused Holtzmann to look up stunned. She looked modestly embarrassed before quickly recovering.

"My, my, Dr. Gilbert, flattery will get you everywhere," Holtzmann flirted with her signature wink.

 _That's what I'm hoping._

* * *

 **I hope that was good! Thank you so much to everyone who has commented or favorited this, it means the world to me! Shameless tumblr plug: gaycrouton. Thank you! The last chapter will be the final two "reasons", if you have anything you would like to see hit me up!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! Sorry this final chapter took so long, college has taken my soul and time. Quick PSA, if you haven't listened to Kate McKinnon's cover of "Take Me to Church," YouTube that shit right now. You need to hear what heaven sounds like. Lol, but anyway, I've really enjoyed writing this story, and I have deeply appreciated everyone that has commented. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Erin's had enough. She swore if she blushed one more time, her face may be permanently red. Holtzmann was being unrelenting for the past few weeks, or was she? Erin was still uncertain if the blonde scientist was teasing her individually, or if she was treating her like everyone else. Holtzmann was infamous for witty quips, but recently it felt like she was the sole target of the woman's wit. She could have just ignored it, and pretended like nothing happened. Except, every single time the simplest thing happened, she would turn bright red. If that wasn't bad enough, she kept catching Patty and Abby smirking at her. Even Kevin noticed, and that's saying something.

It was the flirtatious comments, the erotic dance moves, the winks, the little touches, everything that woman did has Erin melting into a puddle. Erin loved it all, but it was like a masochistic torture for her. She wanted a confirmation that this wasn't just her overthinking it, since that usually had been the case in her life. She had been brainstorming for a while on what to do to either confirm or deny that Holtzmann actually liked her. She had been puzzled, but she eventually figured out a plan. She was a scientist, he would conduct research on the matter.

Her hypothesis; "If Jillian Holtzmann likes me, then she would react to me flirting with her."

She spent the entire night thinking of ways to flirt with the blonde. She felt pretty successful with her past flirtations with Kevin, so she was going to keep some of those in her pocket. Her main resource was the internet, "how to flirt," "how to make someone fall in love with you," "how to tell if someone likes you," etc. By the morning of the experiment, she felt pretty confident.

Erin was so excited that she ended up being the first one at the station. She self-consciously straightened her dress with the palms of her hands and triple checked herself in the mirror. If she was going to do this, she was going all-in. She never was one to dress up in tight clothes, so she only owned one form fitting dress. It was still pretty "plain," but this dress was a bit shorter than what she usually wore and it hugged all her curves.

"Damn Erin, you look fly as hell!" Patty's voice boomed as she walked into the building, looking Erin up and down with an impressed grin.

"Thank you! I just was out of clean clothes and this was all I had left." She lied, appreciating the taller woman's compliment. They continued working in silence, Abby and Kevin came in and immediately complimented Erin. Her self doubt had subsided greatly, and now she was just excited to see Holtzmann's reaction. Erin felt her heart jump into her throat as she heard Holtz's distinctive footsteps coming towards them.

"Hey guys have you seen the bag of bolts I ordered?" Holtzmann asked, looking around the room.

"These?" Erin asked, holding the bag of bolts, that she had stolen for this exact reason. Holtzmann turned around to answer, but just stood still with wide eyes, staring at Erin in pure shock. Erin was initially pleased with herself, but after a few moments, the blonde seemed to be frozen in place.

"I found them in a corner earlier," Erin prompted, snapping Holtzmann out of her reverie. The woman's eyes snapped to the floor as she closed the gap between them.

"Uh, thanks," she mumbled, snatching the bag and running upstairs. Erin felt her heart drop a little bit. Even _Kevin_ had made a comment, with the way the blonde had been staring she must've thought Erin looked ridiculous. Erin swallowed her slight embarrassment, and continued on. She still had a lot more up her sleeve, and the day had just begun.

An hour passed by and Holtzmann still had not come down from the second floor. She moved her glance away from the landing, and jumped when Patty appeared right in front of her.

"Girl, you're gonna break your neck doing that," Patty teased with a smirk.

"What are you talking about?" Erin asked, giggling nervously.

"Looking back and forth to see if Holtzy's coming down. Why don't you just go up and talk to her," the taller suggested, gesturing towards the stairs.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Erin said, lowering her voice while making sure Abby and Kevin weren't listening.

"Uh-huh. So you just dressed up for no reason? I saw the way she gawked at you, she loved it!" Patty exclaimed, clapping Erin on the shoulder.

"I told you I was just out of clothes, and no she didn't, she ran upstairs," Erin muttered. Making Patty pause for a minute.

"Okay, whatever you say. I'm going to get some sandwiches, do you think you can go up there and ask her what she wants?" Patty asked with a smirk.

Erin eyed the woman cautiously before nodding and heading up the stairs. When she got to the second floor she was immediately met with Holtzmann on all fours looking around the floor. She walked dangerously close to the oblivious woman. Knowing, at this level, as soon as Holtzmann looked up she would be met with a long stretch of Erin's legs in her eye line.

"Holtz, what are you looking for?" Erin asked innocently. Her plan was moderately successful. As soon as Holtzmann turned to answer, her eyes went wide and traveled up Erin's leg until she made eye contact. She quickly cleared her throat before darting her eyes back to the ground.

"I dropped a precision screwdriver and I can't find it," Holtzmann said in the calmest voice Erin had ever heard from the woman.

"I'll help," Erin went around to the other side of the table and mimicked the other woman's position. She could feel Holtzmann trying not to look at her newly exposed cleavage and she had to bite her lip to suppress a grin.

"Hey, is this it?" Erin asked, picking up a small screwdriver and holding it out to Holtzmann. The blonde was snapped back to reality as she nodded and took the screwdriver from Erin, who made sure their hands grazed each other in the exchange.

"Thank you," the engineer said, standing up offering her free hand to Erin.

Erin wished she could take credit for thinking of this, but her natural clumsiness just paid off for the first time in her life. Erin grabbed Holtzmann's hand, but on the way up lost balance and tripped into the other woman, causing them to fall backwards. Erin temporarily forgot about the experiment in pure worry that she hurt the blonde.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry, are you okay?" Erin cried, propping herself up onto her elbows to look down at Holtz.

"You sure know how to knock a lady off her feet, Erin," Holtzmann smirked, clearly uninjured. Erin felt her face get hot as she realized she was flush against Holtz on the ground. She was also inadvertently straddling the smaller woman, and she could feel her skirt had embarrassingly hitched up a bit.

" _I've been trying to make her blush all day, and she can make me in 30 seconds._ " Erin berated herself. She quickly got to her feet, pulling Holtz up with her.

"Sorry about that! Patty just wanted me to ask if you wanted a sandwich?" Erin asked, pulling her skirt down, taking note of Holtz's eyes following the movement.

"Can't say I've ever had so much fun being asked that question. Tell her the usual." she replied with a wink.

Erin was positive her face was red, and she was just irritated. She smiled and nodded as she turned to leave. Her experiment was going terribly. She still was just as confused as before. As her foot hit the first stair she was struck with a comeback. She pushed her embarrassment into the backseat, putting on a flirtatious front as she turned to the now-working engineer.

"Holtzy?" Erin asked sweetly, knowing the use of the cutesy nickname would catch her off guard. Holtzmann's eyes left her work and glanced with amusement at Erin.

"I have to say I'm disappointed. I always pictured it much differently." She pouted

"Huh?" Holtz cocked her head to the side.

"I thought are first time in that position would have been under much different circumstances," Erin smirked and attempted the Holtzmann wink. She took in Holtzmann's face of shock and made her way down the stairs, but not before seeing the blonde's cheeks painted pink.

Erin couldn't keep the smirk off her face as she came down the stairs.

"What's so funny?" Abby asked as she took in Erin's bubbliness, oblivious to Patty grinning in response.

"Oh, nothing. Patty, she said just the regular." she stated, sitting down and reveling in her own pride.

As soon as Patty came back, she jumped up and volunteered to bring Holtzmann her food. She was met with no hesitation.

"Hey, I have your food!" Erin stated, making her way towards the scientist.

"Thank ya," Holtz replied from the bench. Erin set the food down next to her and sat on the stool across from her.

"Do you mind if I eat with you?"

"It would be my pleasure," Holtzmann smiled

Erin enjoyed sitting in a comfortable silence while eating their food. They had a little bit of small talk, sprinkled with the usual Holtzmann flirtations, but Erin couldn't think of anything to do. She stood up and started to clear the trash when an idea struck her. It was so bold she could barely bring herself to do it. Holtz had a bit of sauce on the corner of her lip, it was barely there, but it was noticeable. Erin set the trash back down and made her way around the table, to Holtzmann's side. Erin swallowed her hesitation and decided to go for it.

"Hey" she said, making Holtzmann look at her, "You have a little.." she trailed off. She placed her hand along the stunned woman's soft jawline, and, with the pad of her thumb, wiped the sauce off. Feeling a newfound confidence, she brought her thumb to her mouth and licked it off, maintaining eye contact with a bright red Holtzmann the entire time.

Pleased with herself, she turned to leave when she felt a thin hand grasp her wrist. She turned in surprise, but before she could process what was happening, Holtzmann's lips were on hers. Her body was a symphony. All she could hear was the melody of her pounding heart, and her blood pumping in her ears. Not wanting Holtzmann to break away, she reciprocated with vigor. Her lips were as soft as Erin had always expected, and they moved with deft precision. She felt a pair of hands tentatively encircle her waist, and she buried her hands in the tuft of blonde while Holtzmann nipped at her's lips. They broke away after a moment to catch their breath, they made eye contact and couldn't resist smiling.

 _"Conclusion: Jillian Holtzmann does indeed like me."_

* * *

Even though they had been dating for a couple years, Holtzmann manages to make Erin fall deeper and deeper in love with her everyday. Holtz was like a book she couldn't put down. Every new thing she learned during their time alone, enamored her more than she even thought possible. Within the first few days of dating, she learned how shy Holtzmann was to public displays of affection. So much as putting her hand on top of the blonde's would leave Holtz stammering and blushing. Which was odd, since in private Holtzmann couldn't keep her hands to herself.

She loves how tender and understanding Holtzmann is when they're together. Taking her time to explain what she's doing, making sure Erin likes it, and the way she grips Erin's hands when she comes undone. She plays Erin's body like an instrument, paints it like a canvas, any of the eloquent terms poets use can only come close to the way Holtzmann makes her feel.

Erin loves moments like this where the younger scientist has her hair cascading around her face, as she sleeps in Erin's arms. She loves the way her breath caresses Erin's bare skin, leaving goosebumps in it's wake.

The flirtatious comments are just as abundant as ever, but it fills Erin with happiness knowing for a fact that Holtzmann means every single one. Holtmann doesn't hold back her feelings. When she asked Erin to be her girlfriend she decorated the lab with a banner reading " _Will you be my girlfriend?"_ , surrounded by pictures they had taken together. Not just of them, but of the Ghostbuster family. Erin couldn't help but cry and the delicate and beautiful display.

She only hopes that her banner reading " _Will you be my wife?"_ will have the same effect. Even though the suspense is killing her, she doesn't want to wake up the sleeping blonde. For now, she'll just enjoy being surrounded by years of similar photos, Jillian tucked safely in her side, her other hand caressing a velvet box.

* * *

 **Sorry #10 is so short, it just felt right. I hope you liked it! Please, please leave a review! They mean so much to me. I love prompts, so if there is ever anything you want, just hit me up on Tumblr: gaycrouton. I appreciate you so much Thank you.**


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